Ground broken on playing fields in Lehman Township

Lehman Township officials and local lawmakers gathered at the township's community park for an official groundbreaking for two playing fields in the parking lot area.

WAYNE WITKOWSKI

Lehman Township officials and local lawmakers gathered at the township's community park for an official groundbreaking for two playing fields in the parking lot area.

Leeward Construction is taking landfill brought to the park from the East Stroudsburg University dormitory construction project and leveling it for a baseball/softball field and a soccer field. Both fields will be available for use by all ages.

The project, due to be completed in May, is funded by the Local Share Account from state gambling funds. That grant came in at $426,000, and Leeward was low bidder among six contractors at $387,769.

They are the only municipal ballfields in the township aside from the baseball/softball field set up in the municipal complex when it opened in 1988.

"This is part of the $4 million plan for the park," said Lehman Township Board of Supervisors Chairman John Sivick. "When this money became available, we decided to go right away with this."

Sivick credited the efforts of state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, and state Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-189, for supporting the grant application. He said a parking area, handball court and concession stand is also planned.

"This is a very important project for the citizens and the community," Baker said. "As a mother of a child who played sports, I know the shortage of fields is a significant problem in the community for giving a kid a chance to do something that helps physically and mentally and to participate in the team process."

Brown said getting LSA funding "is becoming more competitive because there is not a lot of other funds and there are more applications. I support projects like this that a lot of people in Lehman and Middle Smithfield townships can benefit from."

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